1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to an accessory attachment system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an adjustable, detachable accessory attachment system that is adjustable in regard to the angle at which an attached accessory is carried and allows an accessory to be easily removed or replaced.
2. Description of Related Art
Certain adjustable cant or adjustable angle holsters and removable handgun holsters are known in the industry. These holsters are adjusted by matching, rearranging, or realigning separate bolt circle patterns on the holster and the attaching device that is used to mount the holster on the body. In this manner, vertical, forward, or rearward carrying angles can be achieved.
These angles allow the user to better position the exposed gripping surface of the handgun in regard to the numerous conditions encountered or imposed by the user/wearer.
Such situations can include the user's need to draw the handgun as well as protect the handgun while holstered. Specific positioning angles can also benefit the carrying of the handgun depending on the wearer's body type and mode of dress. In some cases, angle-adjustability can also compensate for the user's activities while carrying the handgun.
As such, greater adjustability than just matching or purposely mismatching (generally 3-hole) bolt circle patterns is often desired or even required.
One approach is to screw together two identical, circular, sunburst-patterned, grooved surfaces with a single screw or bolt through their separate centers. In theory, this allows for a 360° rotation where the points of adjustment are dependent only on the number of matching or mating grooves of each surface on each half of the assembly.
However, the strength of such an assembly is founded not only on the single screw or bolt (which is obviously subject to breaking or loosening) but also on the “as designed” contours of the nesting or mating surfaces and the actual “in use” condition of those contours (subject to manufacturing capabilities and wear in the field thru repeated adjustment). Breakage and slippage are not uncommon in such designs.
Removable holsters (i.e., designs whereby a holster can be readily removed from the wearer's body without having to unthread the holster from a belt), have long been seen in civilian and non-uniform police sectors. These holsters generally employ some sort of clip that fastens to the wearer's waistband or a “paddle” (a large piece of material—sometimes gently precurved to accommodate the wearer's hip structure) that is tucked down into the wearer's waistband holding the holster (and the carried handgun) in place thru pressure against the hip and/or friction created against the wearer's clothing.